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Robert Irwin praised after surprise appearance hosting The Project
While there’s been a massive shake-up at The Project in recent weeks, with Carrie Bickmore, Lisa Wilkinson and Peter Helliar all quitting the show, Robert Irwin surprised viewers on Sunday evening when he appeared on the current affairs program as a guest host.
The beloved Wildlife Warrior wore his signature Australia Zoo khaki uniform while sitting alongside regular panellists Georgie Tunny, Hamish Macdonald and Michael Hing, and received enormous praise from viewers online.
A number of people took to social media to praise the 19-year-old’s on-screen presence and even suggested that he become a regular fixture on the show.
“Robert is amazing! Would love to see him on the show regularly. Such a positive role model for today's society,” one person wrote.
“Robert is incredible and a natural. He needs to have his own TV show,” another added, followed by a third who said, “Robert is great to watch, he is such a cool young man with really good thoughts”.
“Robert Irwin is such an AWESOME young man, a positive role model for young people,” another remarked, while someone else shared, “Is there anything he can’t do?”
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Others compared Robert to his late father Steve Irwin, with one viewer commenting: “He is starting to look more and more like Steve.”
“I just love when I hear Robert's voice, it is like Steve is here with us! The passion and love for what he does is just so wonderful,” a fan replied, with a different user writing, “It’s like watching his dad all over again”.
“Steve would be so immensely proud of the wonderful young man Robert has grown up to be,” another added. “He’s always so passionate and speaks with such eloquence whenever he's on TV.”
Robert Irwin opens up about family pain
Robert shared a deeply personal story about his family during his appearance on The Project after his fellow panellists began discussing a new treatment for Alzheimer’s, a devastating brain disorder that slowly destroys memories and skills and affects hundreds of thousands of Australians.
“I think there's no one living who hasn't encountered someone or has a loved one who has experienced this,” he said.
“My grandfather on my mum's side had a form of dementia and a lot of family friends have had that as well and it's devastating ... someone you love, someone you're close to going through that and not being able to relive and enjoy the moments they had, it's heartbreaking.
“I guess it just reminds you you've got to spend every second with the people you love and really surround yourself with love and light and hopefully this is light at the end of the tunnel for a safe way for people to stop this.”
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